


Highways and Freeways

by HeathNils



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Escape, Human!Deliora, M/M, Prostitute!Gray, Sacramento, Trucker!Gajeel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2020-03-05 07:40:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18824182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeathNils/pseuds/HeathNils
Summary: "Love is like driving a car at night, you'll never see further than your headlights but you'll still make the whole trip that way."- UnknownGajeel Redfox was trucker on his way to deliver a scheduled freighter when he runs into a nervous young man named Gray Fullbuster who was desperate to reach California as quickly as possible. Gajeel agrees to let Gray hitch a ride with him as they traveled the almost 3000 miles to San Francisco the two men find themselves getting closer and closer just as Gray's past comes to haunt them, Gajeel shows Gray the one thing he knows how to do; Keep on trucking.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I was Google searching Fairy Tail Yaoi fics, I came across a fanfic on fanfiction.net called 'Happy Birthday Gajeel' by LadyHoundoom358. I clicked on it, thinking it was going to be a Gajeel x Natsu or Gajeel x Levy but the pairing they chose was Gajeel and Gray and I found myself falling in love with the odd pairing.
> 
> I was watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and CSI while I was on lunch at work one day and I was inspired to write a Gajeel x Gray fanfic.

The lights in the town of Miami glittered and shone brightly in the dark night and the town was bustling with life. Large groups of people or a small groups-- couples-- walked from nightclub to nightclub, bar to bar and from casino to casino, all were laughing, giggling, stumbling all over on each other as they waited for their called taxi, Uber or Lyfts and they were just overall have a good time. 

But north of the beautiful city in the district of Liberty City, in a run-down part of the district, life in Miami was hell for one Gray Fullbuster.

The 17 year old wore a dark shirt covered by an open white button-up shirt, dark green jeans and a pair of worn runners. He had a necklace around his neck which resembled a sword with a stone in it, a metal bracelet around his thin right wrist and a metal chain attached to the belt loops on the right side of his pants. He shivered in the cool summer air, his untamed spiky black-colored hair fluttered in the gentle breeze that was brought up by passing cars and the Atlantic front that was coming in from the East, briefly revealing a thin scar above his left eye. His dark blue eyes were slanted, doe-eyed and wide, skittish, and while his body was toned and muscular with a feminine look to his figure, he still looked pale and thin.

He didn't want to be here.

He wanted to go home!

He whimpered. If he did that and he didn't have the expected quota with him, a harsh punishment awaited him.

A loud honk startled him from his thoughts and had him look up just as a large dark limo pull up by the streetlight he stood under. He gulped and timidly approached the vehicle as he was 'taught' and the dark-tinted window rolled down revealing to the ravenette that inside the luxurious vehicle sat several large, heavy-set, silver haired men, in fancy suits and smoking large cigars. He trembled violently under those hazy, lust-filled gaze.

"Well~ Aren't you the prettiest boy I ever did see~"

He swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise and took a deep breath. "W-What can I-I do y-you for?"

"You look a little lonely~" One of them sneered. "Standing there all by yourself~"

"I-I-I g-guess I am."

"Why don't you join us?" The man at window said, leering at Gray. "We'll even compensate you handsomely for your trouble."

Gray wanted very much to refuse these disgusting men and their clearly perverted intentions but the echoing memories of a promised beating if he didn't earn his dues. "S-Sure."

The door was swung wide open. "Then hop on in and let's go on a _'ride'_ ~"

Gray could only bite his tongue as he walked into the luxurious portal of hell.

 

* * *

 

 

It was after midnight when Gray finally came home. 

Despite Liberty City's poor reputation, it was still a place many middle-class working families called home. In the south side of the district, closer to Miami, several roads were dedicated to quaint domiciles, two, three, even four bedroom homes lined these streets, one of which Gray was speed-walking toward. A two-story, three-bedroom and two-bathroom white-washed house with a clean and maintained lawn and flowerbeds.

He was a shaking and panicking mess as he clutched his beaten backpack desperately to his chest; Despite all he had been _'taught'_ , he had no idea how sexually deprived these men were-- He was forced into every demeaning outfit imagined, he was gagged, blindfolded, was tied up in every compromising position and forced into every known position as they took turns with his body. His body hurt in every way, he knew that tomorrow there would be large and painful bruises around his wrists, ankles and neck and no matter what he did, he could not get the vile taste of those old bastards' semen from his mouth; Despite all that money, they weren't exactly hygienic.

He shakily pulled his keys from his crumpled jeans' pocket, gasping and heart beating rapidly, trying to keep himself together as he frantically tried to unlock the front door. After many failed attempts he finally got the key into the keyhole, unlocked the lock and slowly pushed open the door with a loud creak, stepped in inside, closing the door just as the lights flickered on and immediately his blood froze.

"What do you think you're doing back here?"

Inside, sitting in a large recliner with a cigarette in his mouth, was Deliora; Gray's 'caretaker'. A rather large man with a large torso and two large arms, his hair was mane-like in shape flowing down to the nape of his neck and was dark blue with hollow eyes that despite their permanent set sleepiness, they promised Gray untold tremendous amount of pain and suffering if Gray made even one mistake.

Gray trembled, trying desperately to hold back his bile. "I-I-I--"

"I don't recall giving you permission to come back here," His voice was low as he reached for his open beer bottle, "Not without your end of the bargain. In hand."

"B-But--"

"You expect me to believe that you made the $2,000 quota in three short hours?!" He roared, standing up and causing Gray shrink against the door. "You ungrateful little whore! And after all I have done for you! And after what happened to your parents!"

He snared one of Gray's arms and yanked the rigid ravenette away from the door, right up against his broad frame and began to forced him further into the house and down a hallway. Gray's eyes realized where it was they were heading; Deliora's room.

"N-No! NO!"

He began to frantically struggle and fight, to escape Deliora's grip to no avail as he was yanked harshly back to him, stumbling and running into things. 

"I think another beating is in order."

"No NO! PLEASE!" Gray all but begged, clawing at the hand that gripped his arm as he tried and failed to dig his heels into the carpet. "PLEASE! I HAVE THE MONEY! I HAVE THE MONEY!"

**_SMACK_ **

Gray's struggles all ceased when Deliora slapped him with his large hand before being bodily thrown against the wall and Gray slowly got up. His eyes were wide and he felt numb, slowly and shakily raised his hand to his reddening cheek as tears began to form. It wasn't the first time this monster of man had backhanded him but it still stunned him.

"Do you think I'm fucking stupid?" Deliora sneered, looming over the ravenette. "Do I look like I was fucking born yesterday?"

Gray numbly shook his head, not even looking at the man.

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU SLUT!"

Gray flinched but he complied as he was told.

"Do. I. Look. Stupid. To. You?"

"N-No." Gray whispered.

"Then why lie to me?"

"B-But I'm telling the truth!" Gray said, feeling his bravery return. "I-It's in my backpack!"

"And you continue to lie to me," Deliora heaved a big sigh. "Do I need to get the whip?"

"NO! PLEASE! I'm telling the truth!" Gray cried, frantically pointing at his abandoned backpack. "I swear!I'm telling the truth! It's there! IT'S THERE!"

Deliora looked to the dark backpack that lied near the front door, barely peeking around the corner. He turned back to the cowering boy who now struggled to breathe as those dark, icy eyes fell on him.

"For your sake you best not be lying bitch."

"I'm not I'm not!" Gray sobbed. "It's there! It's there!"

Deliora stormed over to the backpack and picked it up while Gray whispered a string of words in a foreign tongue. He ripped it open, the fabric tearing easily and just as loudly that made Gray flinch violently and he proceeded to dump the backpack's contents onto the floor. Deliora's hollow eyes nearly popped out of his skull; Out of the mangled backpack fell a large fat stack of $100 dollar bills. He snatched up the stack of cash and slowly thumbed through it, twice, making sure there wasn't a mistake; There wasn't.

It was $10,000.

"For once you tell me the truth." Deliora hummed with a smile, turning the wad of cash in his hand. There wasn't any anger or heat but Gray nonetheless flinched when Deliora snapped his head toward him. "How did you make this?" 

"I-I was picked up b-by a g-group of old men. 10 of t-them." Gray shakily responded. "I-I told them what you t-taught me to say; $200 p-per person. T-They instead offered to p-pay $1,000! E-Each of them t-to have their w-way with me! Whatever they w-wanted. They were a-all wealthy."

"You made this from just them?"

"Yes! All of it!" Gray wailed. "I was with them for all three hours! I swear!"

"Well then," Deliora smirked, a smirk that didn't mean anything good to Gray, "Looks like YOU earned yourself a good two days off."

Gray whimpered.

"Go make me my usual." Deliora barked, making Gray jumped up and quickly ran into the kitchen. "And you know what will happen if you screw up--"

Gray squeaked as he stumbled and tripped over himself in his desperation to please his tormentor. He shakily began to open the cabinets, drawers and the fridge, gathering the necessary ingredients needed for Deliora's requested drink when he stumbled and fell back into the fridge, knocking the contents on top the fridge onto the ground. Breathing became a difficult obstacle as Deliora's voice cracked through the air.

"If you break my special glasses and vases, I'll give you beating you won't forget."

Gray quickly gathered all of the fallen items and hastly put them back on top of the fridge when he paused when a large dark purple bottle came into his view. Gray blinked as he stared at the item in hand and brought it closer to his eyes, he furrowed his brows and squinted his eyes as he attempted to read the writing on the bottle. Reading and writing English had been a struggle for the ravenette since he lived here but he focused harder;

Melatonin.

Gray looked up just as he heard the heavy thud in the living room. He could see Deliora bending down in front of the safe that he kept in the living room, he watched as he typed in the combination into the safe; X776*. Gray looked back at the bottle in his hand and to the large bottle of tequila he had pulled out before he looked back to Deliora's turned back and his mind was made.

 

* * *

 

 

It was three in the morning when Gray decided to brave the waters. 

He quietly got up from his cot, slowly opened the door and peeked out. He was both surprised and perhaps not surprised that the lights in the house was still on, something he knew Deliora didn't allow that to be after a certain hour, as he crept into the living room where he knew what he sought was waiting for him. He froze when he heard the sound of something large moving.

Cautiously Gray approached a large reclining armchair that faced away from him.

Slumped in the armchair was Deliora. Gray carefully reached out with a nervous hand and began placing it against the man's thick neck, checking his pulse only to find to his dismay, he still lived. He couldn't back at now, not when he was so close; He had to act and fast!

He quickly moved to his room, grabbed another backpack he kept under the cot, a bit bigger and looked similar to a camping pack and quickly stuffed it with what clothes and toiletries he had. He walked quickly and quietly sped-walked back into the living room, back toward where the safe was located and quickly began to type in the combination with shaky fingers, checking back behind him every second to ensure Deliora did not awaken and biting back a groan of frustration when he failed to input the correct one twice. Finally, on the third time, the safe's heavy door opened with a heavy click causing Gray to whip his head around in wide-eyed fear when he heard Deliora shift.

He was still out cold.

Breathing out a heavy sigh of relief, Gray quickly turned attention back to the now opened safe, revealing its contents to be huge stacks of cash, documents, files, papers and booklets. Gray quickly rifled through the files and documents, finding his Visa and his passport, stuffing them into his backpack before he shoved a few large stacks of cash, the total amount he didn't know, into his bag before he quickly shut the safe and quickly made for the door. He opened it and carefully closed it behind him and locking it, throwing the keys into the gutter, into the storm drain before he took off into the night.

He was going home.


	2. When a Trucker meets a Boy

"Alright! She's ready to go!"

He grunted, jumping down from the cab of his big rig truck with a heavy clipboard tucked under his arm as he began to inspect his truck and trailer, making sure everything was locked, sealed and secured. 

He was a tall and muscular man with long and messy, wild dark hair kept slicked back and under control by a dark red bandanna. He had dark red eyes with slitted dark pupils that gave many around him the impression he was a man of no-nonsense attitude and had no visible eyebrows rather they had been replaced by a pair of three simple round studs acting as the eyebrows. More visible studs that could be seen on his body, two were on each side of his nose, two were on his chin, just below his mouth, his ears were adorned by two sets of five earrings each and sported four studs on each of his forearms with his right one being covered in scars. 

His name was Gajeel Redfox.

He checked all the boxes on his list as he tested, tugged and pulled the chains, wires and cables that connected his truck to the trailer, making sure everything was hooked up and secured properly and making sure the engine was in working order and the fluids were at adequate levels. Though he had to make sure once he stopped at the next truck stop to top off his fuel tank before he hit the road. Once he was satisfied with the results he found, he went to the driver's side of the door, which remained open and he threw the clipboard onto the driver's seat.

"Alright," he said turning to the warehouse manager, who was performing his own checklist, "Everything's hooked-up and ready to go."

"Good good." The manager nodded. "I called the manager at the company in Sacramento and I told him to expect you on Friday."

"Nice." Gajeel nodded. "Is the paperwork signed?"

"Yep." The man nodded, handing the ravenette a stack of papers. "Good luck on your travels."

"Thanks." Gajeel grunted. "See ya' around."

Gajeel pulled himself up into the cab of his truck and plopped down into the driver's seat after removing the clipboard from the seat and throwing it onto the passenger seat. He turned the key in the ignition and hearing the truck roar to life. He shifted gears and got the truck on moving.

Next stop, truck stop.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a little after 3 am when Gajeel reached the truck stop and began fueling his massive tank. He was nodding off as he leaned against his truck's fender, arms crossed as he listened to the gasoline rushing, pouring the piping and into the tank-- He needed the fueling to hurry up so he could park his truck into the provided parking and crash until 10 am so he could grab a bite to eat, grab a large cup of joe and hit the road by noon. 

He was startled awake, his body visibly jumping nearly causing to lose grip on the fender as the pump gave off a loud clunk-- A sign that the tank was full. He grunted, pushing himself off the truck's fender, removing the nozzle and closing up his gas tank, tying up any loose ends before he turned around, ready to jump in his truck and move it over so he could at least get a head start on that sleeping plane.

"E-Excuse me."

He jumped, his eyes wide as he whipped his head around and he found himself facing a boy; a young man really who couldn't look any older then his late teens. He was pale, shorter then him by a foot or so, was rather lanky though he still had muscles with large skittish dark-blue eyes, the left one he noticed had a small scar that was covered by short, messy dark hair. He wore a rather worn dark shirt covered by an open white button-up shirt, dark green jeans and a pair of worn runners with a necklace around his neck resembling a sword with a stone in it, a metal bracelet around his thin right wrist and a metal chain attached to the belt loops on the right side of his pants.

He looked lost-- Scared even.

"Can I help you?"

The boy jumped, eyes wide as they fixed on him. "I-I-I..." 

Gajeel watched as the kid struggled to calm his nerves, a small smile on his face as he watched him take a deep breath and tried again, trying be more assertive, more confident. It was kinda-- cute.

"I-I need... I need help." He spoke as clearly as he could, though Gajeel could still pick up the foreign accent in his words.

"Help?" Gajeel repeated, making sure he understood the boy. "You need help?"

"Y-Yes!" He shouted before he squeaked, covering his mouth and began to look around frantically. He took several deep breaths before trying again. "I-I need-- I need to get out of here. P-Please."

"You need to get out? Like as in leave this town?" Gajeel furrowed his brows causing the kid to flinch but he nodded nonetheless. "Where are you trying to go?"

"San- San," he bit his lip, letting out a small sound of frustration, his body trembling so badly Gajeel briefly had the impression the kid was literally made of jelly, "I need to get to San Fran-Is-soco?"

"You mean San Francisco." Gajeel corrected and the boy nodded his head frantically. "Why?"

It wasn't the first time Gajeel had come across a hitch-hiker or a transient trying to get a fast ride out the town they were in whether because of debt, trouble with the law, were run-aways or were just traveling for the sake of traveling but he was no fool. He heard of the horror stories of hitch-hikers either robbing, beating, assaulting and or murdering drivers and vice-versa. He already had enough hardships growing up in the ghettos, experiencing his fair share of backstabbers and criminals and he was trying to sort his life out-- a reason he didn't like traveling with anyone. He wasn't someone who easily trusted, a true lone wolf.

"I need to get out of here! Please!"

"Look kid," Gajeel said, "Don't wanna sound like an ass but I ain't no taxi service--"

"NO!" The boy suddenly shrieked, nearly scaring the crap out of Gajeel. "NO! NO! NO!"

"Woah woah! Take it easy!" Gajeel tried to calm the boy-- He was never this good dealing with this sort of thing. "Take it easy."

"I can't! I can't!" The boy was becoming frantic, hysterical, tears brimming in his eyes. "I can't go back! Don't make me go back!"

"Take it easy kid!" Gajeel tried again to assure. "Take it easy!"

"I can't go back." He whimpered, shaking. "I can't go back."

"Go back?" Gajeel blinked. "Go back where?"

The boy shook his head and pointed in a direction; a direction Gajeel could neither make see nor make sense of, since he wasn't sure if he could even see what it was the kid wanted him to see. He looked back at the boy, who trembled so violently he looked ready to unleash the waterworks, to fall apart and perhaps part of him was curious.

"Why would you go back?" Gajeel asked. "If you don't want to, ya don't have to."

He shook his head. "He'll find me!"

Gajeel blinked. _'He'_? "Who'll find you?"

He shook his head again. "Please! I need to get out!" He took rather violent gulps of breath. "I want to go home!"

"Home? Home where? Don't ya live around here?"

The kid fixed him with a watery stare. "No. I am from Romania."

"Romania?" Gajeel blinked. "So what? You're lost?"

That gained Gajeel's attention-- Romania? That might explain the accent in his voice but what was a kid, who looked as though he might still of school-age, doing in this part of Liberty City, Florida, where gods knows what common day criminal would be lying low in wait for a naive and unsuspecting victim? Perhaps he was simply just a kid on vacation with his parents or maybe he was traveling with his class and he just happened to have gotten lost, separate from his group-- It wasn't uncommon, surely, explaining some of the dirt and tears in his clothes but if that was the case then why did the kid come here-- To a truck stop where god-knows-what lowlife, disguised as a fellow trucker, would likely take advantage of him in a desperate time?

"Ya' oughta call or just go to the police then," Gajeel grunted, "Sorry kid. This ain't my problem."

"No!" The boy shrieked. "They won't help me! They never help me!"

"Got me there," Gajeel agreed, he had his fair share of 'policemen' that said they were 'here to help' only to have his ass thrown in the back of a patrol car on in the nearby jailhouse. "Then why not just go to the Miami airport just further down the road here? You're from Europe right? So why not go there, get a ticket and just go?"

"I c-can't--"

"Why not?" He was starting to get frustrated. All he wanted to do was park his truck and get some sleep! "Why the hell not?"

"He'll find me." He breathed shakily. "He'll find me."

" _'He'_?"

The boy shook his head. "Don't make me say it-- Don't make me go back."

It was then Gajeel finally got a good look at the kid. Despite the poor light the truck stop had and despite the obvious signs that he clearly tried to fix his clothes into a way that would allow him to cover more skin, the taller ravenette could clearly see the dark outlines of bruises, on his wrists and his neck, partially hidden by his jacket's collar and his sleeves. When he looked into the kid's eyes, really looked, he saw it; Behind the skittishness, there was terror, horror and desperation and his own eyes widen as memories of his own past flashed past his eyes and he felt the tension in his body lessen. The boy's actions, his body movements, his frantic nature, the way he was holding himself, the way he spoke-- It was all coming together.

This kid was being abused.

"How long have you been here?"

"Huh?" The boy blinked, unsure what it was he heard. "What?"

"You ain't no tourist are ya'?"

He shook his head. "N-No."

"So how long have ya' been living here?"

"S-Since I was ten."

"Where are yer folks?"

He blinked.

"Yer parents?" Gajeel clarified with a roll of his eyes.

The boy bit his quivering lip, eyes watering with fresh tears. "Gone... Gone."

He had made his mind.

"Get in the truck."

"What?" The boy blinked, unsure of what he heard. Did he--? "I-I--"

"I can take you as far as Sacramento," Gajeel said, "There's an airport just outside the city, not far from the warehouse I'm making a delivery to."

"You- You really--" Hope simmered in those dark-blue eyes. "You mean--"

"Get into the truck and get as much sleep as you can," Gajeel said, "We leave at 10."

"Thank you. Thank you!" Relief washed over his entire form. He halted and suddenly removed his backpack much to Gajeel's confusion. "Right right-- I pay now."

"Pay--?" Gajeel's question was answered before it even escaped past his mouth as the kid shakily pulled the zipper open and revealed inside was several stacks of cash. His eyes bugged out of his skull. "What the--"

"I pay you half," the kid said, voice a little stronger, "You want now or after?"

Gajeel didn't answer right away. He reached over a carefully pulled out one stack of a hundred dollar bills, making the stack worth $1,000. He flipped through the papers and checked the usual watermarks and found that they were indeed real and he looked back at the backpack before he locked suspicious eyes onto the dark haired boy.

"How--"

"Does not matter," the kid shook his head, "I don't know how much but I give half."

Gajeel furrowed his brow. "What's your name kid?"

"Gray." Was the answer. "G-Gray Fullbuster."

"Get in the truck, Gray." Gajeel grunted, pushing the boy to the big rig. "Before someone sees ya'."


	3. In the Diner

Gajeel awoke with a jolt at the sounds of his wristwatch beeping. He grunted as he straighten himself in his seat and stretch out his arms and his back until he heard a pop and he let out a heavy sigh and checked his beeping wristwatch with bleary red eyes, silencing it as he did.

**9:50 am**

He grunted and quickly stretched the rest of his rather stiff and numb limbs. Sleeping in the driver's seat, even if it was reclined as far back as it could go, wasn't really good on his neck, back, hips and legs. He rolled his neck a few times and ran both of his hands through his wild hair, ruffling into a way he liked before he righted his chair and began setting up and running through a mental checklist on his truck for a long 38 hour drive that would last a good 3-4 days. Once he was convinced his truck, and possibly himself, was ready, he decided to look in the sleeping compartment where his newly acquired passenger was and couldn't help a ghost of a smile appear on his face.

He was still asleep.

Gajeel watched as the pale boy's shoulders and somewhat visible chest rise in fall from his soft, almost scarily, non-existent breathing. It took awhile to get the boy, Gray, to accept his offer to take his entire sleeping space in the back of his truck while he slept in his truck's front seats. The boy seemed anxious, unsure as he looked from the living space then back to Gajeel.

_"Are... Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"But... But... This is... Where you sleep... Yes?"_

_"It is. So?"_

_"S-So you take... I... I can sleep... In seat."_

_"No. Yer my guest-- Take it."_

_"B-But--"_

_"Kid-- Just take it."_

_"O-Ok... If... If you're s-sure."_

_"I am. Now get some sleep. We got a long road ahead of us."_

_"O-Ok."_

After some assurance, he finally got the boy to accept his offer and the boy began to timidly move the many blankets and pillows that Gajeel had around upon the mattress in a strange and sort of messy nest and began pulling out a shirt and blue pajama pants and began to dress himself for bed. He knew that the boy had been abused, to what extent, he wasn't sure but it was what lead Gajeel to decide to help this poor kid but not even he was prepared for what he was about to see.

His back was covered in half-healed welts.

Gajeel was familiar with the injures made by a leather belt, as he had been on the receiving end of many of them himself while growing up but not to the magnitude he saw in this boy's flesh. He had seen the large, hand-shaped bruising around the boy's wrists, arms, neck and hips, even catching a brief glance of of one on his ankle, the small, almost invisible, paper-white scars that litter across his small, lithe body and he could count the boy's ribs. This kid clearly hadn't had a decent meal in forever and had been beaten, beyond what would be considered a normal _'disciplinary'_ action.

He was seeing more of himself in that boy.

He turned back to the front, watching a flock of birds fly past his window and his mind made up. He buckled himself in, pulling his keys out and placing it into the ignition and gunned the engine to life; a loud roar that settled into a rather loud purr from the truck's engine entered the air and he quickly looked behind him, through the curtain, to check on the boy.

He was still asleep.

He placed his truck's gear into place and began to move his truck as he had the perfect place for breakfast in mind.

* * *

Gray groaned as he turned onto his side and curled himself into a small ball, the waking world calling to him. He let out a soft sigh, slowly pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, kicking the large amount of blankets off of him as a large yawn escaped him. He blinked his sleep-heavy dark blue eyes as he looked around the dimly lit room space he found himself in, his mind muddled and still half-asleep.

None of it looked familiar to the ravenette.

To some, waking up in someplace unfamiliar, was a terrifying feeling, you may never know if the person that was with you when you first woke up was friend or foe; savior or death. To Gray, waking up somewhere he didn't recognize was a blessing. If he was honest, he'd rather wake up in some dingy, urine soaked, cockroach infested motel room with a person who had a sick perverse or murderous intent toward him then waking up in his room, on his ratty little cot barely held together by the tape with that bastard Deliora looming over him, leering down on him, ready to dish him the usual 'morning' beating and then humiliate him.

It was... Nice.  

But--

Where was he?

Gray numbly pushed himself upright until he rested on his legs he had tucked underneath him as he rubbed his eyes. The two small windows, one at each end of the bed frame were covered, little light coming through and he was on a mattress-- A very thick and plush one at that-- He couldn't remember a time he was last on a mattress, with a bed frame even, so soft and downy with so many fluffy pillows and warm blankets to wrap himself in.

Deliora wouldn't allow him such comforts.

At the mere thought of the man, Gray stiffened, eyes wide as he scanned the small living space once more. He was vaguely reminded of a cross between a studio apartment and a RV camper, based solely on the photos he had seen when he snuck in apartment and car guides into his room; but smaller like a miniature micro-studio apartment. Hanging bins and cabinets surrounded him, with a small control panel and light fixtures hanging above and around where his head was. A small dorm-sized refrigerator with a small microwave stacked on top the other in the shelving units in the space, tethered in place and a small 20 inch TV was in a cubby across from them, within eye shot. The only way in or out seemed to be concealed behind a thick curtain.

What Gray noticed was that the entire small space seemed to vibrant and tremble, a low but insistent. A low rumbling that filled the entire room and he was pretty sure he could literally feel this micro-space was moving. He slowly and carefully placed himself back onto his stomach and pushed aside the curtain that covered the small near his nest of pillows and his eyes grew wide.

He _**WAS**_ moving.

He remembered now.

He couldn't stop the happy smile from spreading across his face or the tears of joy from flowing down his face.

Last night, he had done it-- He had finally done it. After almost 10 years of what he could only describe as a grueling and horrifying hell, he finally mustered enough courage to escape from his prison, to escape Deliora, and he did it. He incapacitated that cruel bastard long enough to back his visa, his passport and any other papers he might need, took the money he knew rightfully belonged to him, forced to earn, and he ran away. He packed what little possessions he had and ran away, taking whatever head start he could. It mattered not.

He was free. 

Free at long last to return home to the country of his birth, Romania to make a new life for himself, to start over and forget this hellish nightmare. He was going somewhere where that bastard couldn't possibly get him or hurt him and he found someone who would help him.

A kind man, a interstate trucker, who agreed to take him to San Francisco in California.

A place he knew Deliora would never think to look first.

The vibrating rumbling suddenly ceased, the air silent and he blinked, his vision back out the window; They were no longer moving. His head snapped to the large curtain that hid the cruel world from him when the muffled sounds of something moving or being moved entered the air. He held his breath as he watched the curtain shifted and was pushed to the side, revealing a truck's cab and the man-- Gajeel, if he remembered he said his name was-- The very man who saved him.

Helping him to freedom.

"Oh good. Yer awake. Get cleaned up a bit, then let's go eat."

Gray blinked. "Eat?"

"Yeah." Gajeel nodded. "Betcha yer starvin'. I know I am."

Gray's face turned a bright pink when his stomach let out a loud growl, followed by a brief spark of pain in the pit of his stomach. 

"Gi hi." Gajeel let out a laugh. "Guess that answers my question."

Gray looked toward his stomach.

When _**WAS**_ the last time he actually _**ALLOWED**_ to eat?

He looked back at Gajeel, unsure.

"I'm... I'm allowed to?"

"Yeah, yer allowed to." Gajeel blinked, the three piercings that replaced his right non-existent eyebrow. "I hope yer okay with IHOP."

"IHOP?"

"Yeah." Gajeel shrugged. "Have a soft spot fer the place. Now let's go eat kid."

* * *

Gray timidly played with his fingers, his whole body trembling as he looked around frantically and yet curiously at the establishment while he and Gajeel sat in a small booth in the back corner of the eatery, waiting to be served.

He had never been in a restaurant before-- Any place really outside of what and where he was expected to do or go. Deliora never allowed him to eat anything or go anywhere that he didn't approve of-- Hell, the bastard never allowed him to leave the house except when he was expected to make his _'quota'_. He gripped the strap on his backpack tightly as he looked back at the menu before him-- He wasn't going to let fear stop him.

Deliora can't control him here.

Not anymore.

But he never knew there were so many food choices-- So many ways a person could have pancakes, waffles, toast and their eggs done and presented.

He visibly jumped when a young man, a slim, rather short young man with wavy and slightly messy blonde hair, with large dark eyes, perhaps a bit older then himself in a blue IHOP shirt and dark slacks stood before them. Smiling brightly.*

"Hi! Sorry about the wait. My name is Eve and I'll be your server today." He pulled out a small notebook and pencil. "Can I get you guys started on some drinks?"

"Yeah." Gajeel answered, looking up from him menu. "I'd like a cup of coffee. Strongest ya got."

"Alright." The man, Eve, nodded, jotting it down. "Any cream or sugar?"

"Hell no." Gajeel grunted. "I need it black."

"Ok." Eve grinned. "And you?"

Gray jolted and looked up to find that the man was looking at him, smiling. Never was anyone, men specifically, this nice to him.

"I... I'm sorry?"

"Your order?" Eve explained. "What would you like to drink?"

"D-Drink?"

"Yeah." Eve said, leaning forward to point at the menu while Gray leaned back slightly. "We have milk, chocolate milk, milkshakes-- Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry." 

He pointed to each item on the menu with the end of his pencil.

"We also have coffee, straight black or decaf." Eve beamed. "My personal favorite is the lattes. We serve lattes, iced or hot in your choice of caramel, vanilla and mocha. We have smoothies, strawberry, peach, mango, banana, strawberry-banana, kiwi-strawberry, pineapple and we sell Pepsi products here".

Gray looked to the menu then back at Gajeel.

"Can... Can I have... Am I...?"

"Kid-- You can have whatever you want off the menu." Gajeel said. "But yer paying for yer own meal."

"Yeah... I am." Gray agreed and he looked back at the menu, his confidence raised. "Can... Can I have a milk-milkshake?"

"Sure." Eve said, pulling back and jotting down the note. "What flavor?"

"Flavor?" Gray blinked, confidence wavering and he shrunk a little. "Can I... I'd like c-chocolate... Please?"

"Sure. Coming right up!"

Eve wrote a few more things on his notepad and then made tracks to the kitchen. Gray watched him go while Gajeel watched his every movement. The kid was very skittish, for a better word, his head snapping into every direction as he took in the sights, the smells and layout of the restaurant. He latched himself to almost every conservation that was being held around them, flinching at the sounds of clinking glass and scrapping forks and looked absolutely scared to death when the sound of chimes from the opening of the main door entered the air.

"I take it you've never been served in a diner before." Gajeel said, eyebrow raised. "Have you?" 

Gray's head snapped back to him. "Huh?"

Gajeel placed his menu down. "Have you been in a diner before?"

Gray bit his lip, a dusting of pink appeared in his cheeks as he slumped in his seat, looking away. "N-No..." He muttered before mumbling under his breath.

Gajeel leaned in. "What?"

"..."

"Kid, ya need to speak up. I can't hear ya' when you mumble like that."

"I said I wasn't allowed to!" Gray said with a raised voice before he squeaked and clasped both hands over his mouth. He quickly looked around in alarm and to his immense relief, no one seemed to have heard or noticed. He lowered his hands slowly. "I wasn't allowed."

That gained Gajeel's interest. "Why?"

"Because only real people could eat in such places... Hard-working, honest, pure-blooded American people," Gray said darkly, "Not lazy, self-entitled, dishonest, cock-sucking human refuse like me."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "Who told ya' that?"

"I..." Gray sighed. "I don't want to say..."

"Kid, if I'm gonna help ya'-- Take you to San Francisco with me," Gajeel warned, "I'd best be told what I'm dealing with. I don't like surprises."

"I... You- You won't believe," Gray shook his head, "No one believe."

Gajeel leaned forward, placing his chin in his hand. "Just try me kid."

"O-Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *= One wild guess who. X3

**Author's Note:**

> *= I have this theory after having read both the Fairy Tail manga and Fairy Tail book series, Ice Trail that Gray's family may have been slaughtered by Deliora in the early winter of X776 or X775 and in the early or mid-Spring of X777 Gray found his way to Fairy Tail and it was mentioned at the end of Ice Trail, Gray had been in the guild for a few months before Natsu joined. I don't know when and all everything took place since Ice Trail never really disclosed the dates and time but Mirajane indicated to Lucy before they chased after Macao, that Natsu joined the guild shortly after Igneel's 'disappearance'.
> 
> It's probably not even remotely close but hey, at least no one can say I didn't try.


End file.
